"Some mornings are so bright, you forget they can burn."
The noise woke me before the light did.
Someone was laughing outside my room, the sharp, nervous kind of laughter that fills a house on a wedding morning. Voices overlapped, makeup artists shouting for brushes, my aunt screaming at the decorator, the DJ testing sound like he was preparing for war.
It was all too much...
I turned on my side, eyes half open. The air conditioner hummed above, but sweat still clung to my neck. My heart was already racing. Not from excitement. From something else. Something cold that had been sitting inside me since last night.
I dreamt of Darian again. Or maybe it wasn't a dream. I could still hear his voice, the low one he used when he was angry but smiling. "No more lies, Adanna."
When I opened my eyes, sunlight was spilling through the curtains. The clock said 7:04 a.m.
In four hours, I would marry him.
I sat up, staring at the white dress hanging on the wall. It looked heavier today. Like it knew something I didn't.
"Adanna! You're still sleeping?" Kemi burst through the door before I could answer. My best friend. Maid of honour. Loudest human alive.
"You'll make me have heart attack. Bride wey suppose don dey glow, dey here like ghost."
I smiled. Or tried to. "I just woke up."
She came closer, already holding her phone camera like a weapon. "Abeg, smile joor. People are waiting for pre-wedding moment."
I pushed the phone aside. "No camera yet, please."
Kemi frowned, dropped the phone, and sat beside me. "You're shaking," she said quietly. "You okay?"
I looked away. "Just tired."
She sighed. "If you're having cold feet, that's normal. Every bride dey shake small before wedding."
If only it was cold feet.
I reached for the glass of water beside the bed, but my hand trembled. Calm down, I told myself. Don't ruin today.
Kemi stood. "I'll tell the makeup artist you're ready. Try to eat something, abeg. You haven't eaten since yesterday."
When she left, the room felt smaller. I sat there staring at my reflection in the mirror. My face looked strange...familiar but distant. My eyes were the only honest thing left...
The knock came twenty minutes later. Soft, careful.
"Come in," I said.
My mother stepped inside, wrapped in gold lace, smelling of perfume and palm oil...a mix that somehow made sense for her.
"My daughter," she said, her smile trembling, "today is your day."
I forced a nod. "Yes, Mama."
She sat beside me, adjusted the veil on my head. "I prayed all night. God will bless your marriage. You and Darian will be happy."
Her faith felt heavy. Like another thing I had to carry.
"Mama," I said, "did you ever… have doubts before marrying Papa?"
She blinked, surprised by the question. "Every woman does. But you must believe in what you chose."
I wanted to tell her I didn't choose this. Not completely. That something about Darian had changed after the engagement... small things, quiet things but enough to make me lose sleep.
But how do you tell your mother that the man she calls "a blessing from above" might be the reason you keep dreaming of drowning?
So I just smiled and said, "I do."
She kissed my forehead and whispered, "Be strong."
By 9:30 a.m., the house was chaos.
Cameras everywhere, perfumes mixing, people shouting "Bride is coming down!" every five minutes.
The makeup artist worked like her life depended on it. Powder, blush, lips, lashes.
"You fine die," she said proudly when she was done.
I looked at myself in the mirror and tried to believe her.
Then, as I turned to adjust my dress, my phone buzzed. One message. No name saved.
I frowned. Opened it...
Unknown: "If you love your life, don't say I didn't warn you."
My throat went dry. The air left the room...
Another message followed....
Unknown: "He's not who you think he is."
I stared at the screen, heart pounding.
Who? Darian?
I tried to reply...."Who is this?"
but before I could send it, the phone was snatched from my hand.
"Babe!" Kemi laughed, waving the phone. "They're waiting outside for you. Stop checking messages joor."
I forced a smile, praying she didn't read it.
"Let's go," I said, pretending my legs weren't shaking.
Outside, the street was full. Cars lined up, flowers tied to bonnets, children running, everyone shouting my name. The Lagos sun hit hard, turning everything golden and dizzy.
I climbed into the car, the gown swallowing me whole. Kemi beside me, Mama in the front. Music blasting.
As the convoy moved, I stared out the window. Every billboard, every passer-by felt like they were watching me. The city didn't care that I was scared. Lagos never stops to feel anything....not joy, not fear, not love.
We passed through third mainland, and I caught my reflection in the window. The veil made me look like someone else. Someone already fading.
When we reached the church, the crowd cheered. Cameras flashed. The band started playing that overused wedding song everyone loves.
I saw Darian standing by the altar, in a perfectly tailored white suit. Smiling that smile.... the one that hides more than it shows.
For a moment, all sound faded.
It was just him and me.
My heart whispered...Run...
But my feet moved forward.
The aisle felt endless. Each step louder than the last. People were smiling, waving, some even crying. I smiled back, pretending not to see Darian's eyes shift slightly.... like he was watching for something.
When I reached him, he took my hand. His skin was warm, almost burning.
"You look beautiful," he said softly.
"Thank you," I whispered.
He leaned close, lips brushing my ear. "No more secrets today, hmm?"
I froze. "What?"
He smiled again, turning to the priest. "Shall we begin?"
The choir started singing. My heart was beating too fast to follow the rhythm.
And right there, as the priest opened the Bible, my phone...hidden in the folds of my dress...buzzed again.
Unknown: "He lied about his first wife."
My breath caught. My knees wobbled.
I looked at Darian.
He was smiling at the crowd, hand still holding mine, thumb stroking my ring finger slowly....like he knew exactly what message had just arrived.
And for the first time since I met him, I realized something terrifying...
Maybe he did...
I couldn't breathe.
My chest felt too tight, like the corset was made of fear, not fabric.
I tried to look calm, everyone was watching but my hands were trembling.
The priest's voice floated somewhere above me. Words about love, patience, forever. I heard them, but they didn't sink in. My heart was louder.
Darian stood beside me, perfect smile still in place.
His thumb never stopped moving against my hand. Slow. Controlling.
I kept hearing the message echoing in my head.
He lied about his first wife.
First wife?
He told me he'd never been married....
He told me I was his first everything... his "one real love."
My fingers twitched. My instinct screamed to pull away, to ask him right there in front of everyone. But I couldn't. The priest was already asking us to say our vows.
When it was my turn to speak, the words stuck to my tongue.
"I, Adanna…"
My voice cracked.
"…take you, Darian…"
His eyes were on me.... calm, almost too calm. Like he was studying how far I would go.
"…to be my husband," I finished weakly.
The crowd clapped. The choir sang louder.
Then it was his turn.
"I, Darian," he said, voice low but clear, "take you, Adanna, to be my wife. I will protect you, keep you, and never let harm come your way."
That last part... never let harm come your way.... felt like a warning, not a promise.
He smiled, slipped the ring on my finger, and kissed my hand slowly. My skin crawled, but I smiled. Because that's what brides do — they smile even when they're drowning.
When the priest said, "You may now kiss the bride," he didn't wait.
He pulled me close, his lips pressing against mine like he owned the air I breathed.
The crowd screamed, clapped, laughed.
But under the sound, I could feel his breath....heavy, sharp and something in his whisper...
"Now, we belong to each other. No turning back."
The world tilted....
Applause filled the church....
Flashbulbs burst like small lightning....
I smiled for the cameras, even as my stomach twisted.
After the ceremony, everything moved too fast.
Pictures... Hugs.... Champagne....Laughter.... People shouting, "Mrs. Darian Adeoye!"
The name sounded strange in my ears.
He stayed close to me, hand never leaving my waist. Everyone called it love. I knew it was control.
At the reception hall, lights danced across the floor. The air smelled like jollof rice and roses.
I tried to eat, but every sound felt like a warning the clink of glasses, the whispers, the DJ shouting, "Love is sweet ooo!"
Love wasn't sweet. Not today....
Midway through the party, Kemi dragged me to the back room to fix my makeup.
"Babe, your lipstick don fade," she said. "You need touch-up before the next dance."
As she dabbed powder on my face, she frowned. "You're pale. You okay?"
I nodded. "Just tired."
"Are you sure? You look like person wey see ghost."
Before I could answer, the door creaked open.
A woman stepped inside.
Tall, slim, dark-skinned, with eyes that carried too many stories. She wore a simple blue dress, nothing flashy, but something about her presence made the air colder.
"Sorry," she said softly. "I need to speak with the bride."
Kemi turned. "Aunty, please, this place is for...."
"It's okay," I cut her off. "Give us a minute."
Kemi hesitated but left.
The woman looked at me. "You don't know me," she said quietly, "but I knew him."
I froze. "Who?"
She smiled sadly. "Your husband."
My mouth went dry. "Who are you?"
She reached into her purse and pulled out an old photograph.... Darian standing beside her, his arm around her shoulder.... Same suit....Same smile....
"We were married three years ago," she said. "Until he tried to kill me."
The room spun. I grabbed the table for balance.
"What are you saying?"
Her eyes filled with something like pity. "He doesn't love anyone, Adanna. He studies people. He uses them. And when he's done, he erases them."
I shook my head. "You're lying."
"I thought that too," she said. "Until I saw the pattern. The women before me. The promises. The accidents."
"Accidents?"
She stepped closer. "Do you know what happened to his fiancée before you? The one he told you died in an accident? She didn't die in a car crash. She drowned. In their bathtub. Just like I almost did."
My breath caught.
She looked at me, voice trembling now. "He makes you feel safe so you'll let your guard down. Then he strikes."
Before I could say anything, the door opened again.
Darian stood there.
His smile never reached his eyes.
"Everything okay here?" he asked softly.
The woman went pale....
She tucked the photo back into her bag, whispered, "Be careful," and slipped past him without another word.
He watched her leave, then turned to me. "Who was that?"
"Someone who came to greet me," I said quickly.
He nodded slowly, still staring. "You shouldn't let strangers in. Not everyone means well."
Then he stepped closer, fingers brushing my cheek. "You look shaken. Did she say something?"
I forced a smile. "Nothing serious."
His hand stayed there, too long, too firm. "Good. I don't want anything spoiling today."
He leaned close, whispering in my ear, "We've come too far for that, haven't we?"
The rest of the day passed in a blur.
Music. Dancing. Toasts.
I moved like a ghost inside my own celebration.
Every time I looked at Darian, he was smiling, talking, laughing...perfectly charming.
But I could feel it now. The shift. The darkness hiding under his smooth words.
When the guests started leaving and the night came down, he held my hand again.
"Ready to go home, Mrs. Adeoye?"
Home..... The word tasted wrong.
I nodded. "Yes."
He smiled. "Good. Our new life begins tonight."
As the car drove away, I looked back at the fading lights of the hall.
Kemi waved. My mother blew kisses.
And for a second, I wanted to scream for help. But my voice refused to come out.
Darian reached over and took my hand again. "You're quiet," he said softly.
"Just tired," I whispered.
He chuckled, eyes on the road. "Rest, my love. You'll need your strength."
Something in his tone made my stomach twist.
Outside, the city lights blurred. The road stretched ahead like a mouth waiting to swallow me.
And deep inside, one truth hit me harder than any vow...
I wasn't driving toward a new beginning...
I was driving into a trap...
To be continued.....